The Wales second row Bradley Davies will miss the rest of the Six Nations after receiving a seven-week ban on Wednesday for foul play, but the citing against Ireland's flanker Stephen Ferris was not upheld.

Davies was cited for dropping his opposite number Donncha Ryan to the ground head-first in an off-the-ball incident during the victory over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.

He received a yellow card for the offence which happened after he took exception to the way Ryan had tried to clear the Wales prop Adam Jones from a ruck. The two tussled as play carried on with Davies picking up Ryan and turning the replacement second row before dropping him.

The incident was seen by the touch judge David Pearson who advised the referee Wayne Barnes that it merited a yellow card. The Wales coach Warren Gatland admitted afterwards that Davies should have been sent off and he has spent this week reminding his players about the need for discipline.

Davies was cited for foul play and an independent Six Nations disciplinary committee, chaired by Anthony Davies, heard the case in London. The three-man panel found that Davies lifted Ryan beyond a horizontal position and failed to bring him to the ground safely, as required under the laws of the game. It decided the offence merited a top-level entry in terms of premeditation.

That made Davies's ban 10 weeks, and he was given an extra two because the panel felt there was need for a deterrent punishment. However, mitigating factors, including an admission of guilt and a previous good disciplinary record, meant Davies was given the maximum possible reduction of five weeks.

He will be free to play again on 26 March, nine days after Wales's final Six Nations match against France.

Wales conceded a try while Davies was in the sin-bin, but rallied with two scores in the last five minutes to win the match 23-21 and record a third consecutive victory over Ireland for the first time since the end of the 1970s.

Wales have to reshuffle the second row for the visit of Scotland to Cardiff on Sunday. They are already without the injured Alun Wyn Jones, although he is close to making his comeback, and Luke Charteris. The uncapped Lou Reed is their main specialist option but Gatland could move Ryan Jones from the back row with Dan Lydiate fit again after missing the Ireland victory because of an ankle problem.

"Ryan has been on top of his game as a second row and back row for Ospreys and we are really happy with the way he is playing at the moment," said the Wales scrummaging coach, Robin McBryde.

"We have that option, even if it would not give him as much freedom to run around the field as he did so well on Sunday and we have Lou, an up-and-coming second row who was with us in Poland and he has plenty to offer. He does not look out of place. We also have Aaron Shingler who covers the back five for the Scarlets.

"We are keeping our eye on Alun Wyn Jones, whose rehab at Ospreys is going very well. He might have a bit of involvement at the weekend and we are monitoring Luke, but he is a little further behind than Alun Wyn. We will be ready."

The Wales outside-half Rhys Priestland said that the squad had been told by the management this week about the need to be disciplined. "Bradley reacted in the heat of the moment and he knows that he should not have," he went on. "He was a bit silly and we have spoken this week about how indiscipline can cost us games."

Wales expect to have their captain, Sam Warburton, available to face Scotland. He missed the second-half in Dublin after suffering a dead leg and has yet to train this week but McBryde said: "The signs are looking good and the medical team is confident Sam can take a full part in training on Friday."

The disciplinary committee ruled that the separate case against Ireland's Ferris should not be upheld "after careful analysis of the video evidence and consideration of the player's and his representative's explanation of the tackle".